Pak rudderless as Babar Azam quits

Pakistan's limited-overs team was leaderless on Wednesday after captain Babar Azam resigned, compounding a management crisis experts say has badly affected the team's international performance.

Pakistani cricket is flailing in all formats after a series of stinging losses, with a revolving door of bosses and allegations that nepotism has seeped into the sport.

Azam announced his resignation on his personal social media just before midnight on Tuesday, before an official Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) statement more than 12 hours later.

Pakistan cricket has ploughed through four coaches, three board heads and four captains in the past two years, at the same time sliding down international standings.

"It's a leadership crisis," former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif told AFP. "Pakistan cricket is in the ICU with no specialist for treatment."

Azam's resignation came hours before England touched down on Wednesday for a three-match Test series that follows Pakistan's humiliating 2-0 home series defeat to lowly ranked Bangladesh last month.

It was 29-year-old Azam's second turn as captain after a flip-flop saw him resign in all three formats following Pakistan's early exit from the ODI World Cup in November.

He returned in March to captain white-ball competitions but lasted just six months, leaving Pakistan leaderless with four major series coming up and the Champions Trophy next year. Azam was captain when Pakistan crashed out of the T20 World Cup after a bruising loss to newcomers the United States.

He said he stood down to focus on his playing role as a batsman.

"He should not have accepted captaincy again," Latif said.

"Neither the team was performing nor was he scoring big," he said. "This resignation has come very late and that has not only cost him badly, but also the team."

The PCB said on Wednesday the national selection committee would begin the hunt for a successor.

"He believes that dedicating himself fully to his batting will enable him to play a more decisive role in the team's success in the shorter formats," a PCB statement said.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan is considered the front-runner for the job.

Azam is slated to play in the England Test series starting in Multan on Monday, but red-ball skipper Shan Masood is also facing calls to step down over dire performances.

Pakistan has lost all five matches under his tenure, which began last year.

Babar's record shows he is not an astute leader

The Pakistan cricket team experienced a significant shift in leadership after their defeat to Sri Lanka in the 2019 home series. Following this loss, Sarfaraz Ahmed was replaced as captain, with Azhar Ali first taking the reins, followed by Babar Azam in 2020.

While Babar Azam has consistently proven himself as one of the world's top batters across all formats, his captaincy has often been a subject of debate. His individual performances have shone brightly, but under his leadership, Pakistan has faced mixed results.

In the One Day International (ODI) format, Babar led Pakistan through two Asia Cups and the 2023 ICC World Cup. However, despite high hopes, the team fell short of securing a title under his captaincy.

One of Babar's memorable moments as captain came during the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai, where Pakistan famously defeated India by 10 wickets. However, the team's campaign ended in the semi-finals. In the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, Pakistan fell to England by 5 wickets. The most recent disappointment came in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan was eliminated in the first round during the tournament held in the USA and West Indies.

Babar's captaincy record in Test matches includes leading Pakistan in 20 Tests, with 10 victories to his name. In the ODI format, Babar led the team to 26 wins, while in T20 Internationals, he captained Pakistan in 85 matches, winning 48 and losing 29.

In domestic cricket, Babar captained both Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). However, despite his efforts, neither franchise managed to win the PSL title during his tenure as captain.